Arts & Sciences Core Curriculum Advisory Committee

Administrative Responsibilities

1. Guidance: A&S will create the A&S Core Curriculum Advisory Committee that maintains the integrity of the Core Curriculum and serves as a resource for instructors. The Committee may consider existing university-wide, college-wide, and departmental assessments.
2. Faculty development: A&S will have methods for evaluation of instructors who teach core courses, addressing the instructor’s responsibilities. Drawing upon other resources with the University, A&S will offer robust support for instructors at all levels in order to convey the specific objectives of the Core Curriculum Vision and to ensure that these objectives are pursued in the classroom or laboratory. A&S will foster a broad, interdisciplinary conversation among instructors to explore the various aspects of the Core Curriculum Vision and how each instructor’s course fits in the context of the entire Vision. 
3. Support: The Dean, Associate Deans for Undergraduate Studies, Department Chairs, and Undergraduate Program Directors will support and encourage excellent teaching for all ranks of instructors. Administrators will recognize, develop, and reward faculty who engage undergraduates through the teaching of courses in the Core Curriculum.

Revisions to the Core Curriculum

1. Departmental proposals for courses in the Core Curriculum Distribution Lists (DLs) are submitted to the A&S Core Curriculum Advisory Committee. All full-time A&S faculty members are eligible for appointment to the Committee. The A&S Dean appoints the members of the Committee for a three-year term.
2. Proposed changes to Core Curriculum common courses or to DL requirements must be submitted to the A&S Core Curriculum Advisory Committee for consideration.
3. When approved by the A&S Core Curriculum Advisory Committee, new courses or revisions to the Core Curriculum are routed through existing curricular channels (i.e., A&S Dean, A&S Curriculum Committee, A&S Council of Chairs, University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, and Provost).

Guidelines for Selection and Service

1. The make-up of the A&S Core Curriculum Advisory Committee will be diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity, disciplines, and rank.
2. The Committee members will consist of seven voting members and an unspecified number of ex officio members who will serve as a resource for the current Committee. There will be one faculty member to represent each of the five key areas of the Core Curriculum Vision: Scientific Reasoning, Critical Thinking, Civic Engagement, Creative Thinking, and Christian Tradition. In addition, there will be two at-large representatives.
3. Committee members should have experience teaching at least one course in the Core Curriculum during the three years prior to appointment.
4. Committee members should demonstrate excellence in teaching undergraduates, as demonstrated through evaluations, awards, and/or other measures.
5. Committee members should have an interdisciplinary perspective.
6. Committee members should have a commitment to transformative liberal education within a community of Christian scholars.
7. Preference will be given to faculty who have a demonstrated record of publications or papers in pedagogy.
8. The Committee may include faculty from academic units outside of A&S, as either voting or non-voting members, if they have taught students receiving the BA or BS degrees.
9. Current A&S Core Curriculum Advisory Committee members include:

• Chair: Julie deGraffenried (HIS);
• Voting members: Hope Johnson (ENG), Julie King (ENV), Andy Hogue (PSC), Natalie Carnes (REL), Jennings Sheffield (ART), and Tom McGrath (CHE & BIOCHEM);
• Non-voting members: Danielle Williams (ENG) and Lauren Muhl (DC&CM).